


the anticipation before the kiss

by scottsmcalls



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: 3 Times Plus 1, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Kissing in the Rain, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 12:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12035904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scottsmcalls/pseuds/scottsmcalls
Summary: Carlos keeps finding himself in compromising situations with Ben. Now that wouldn't be a problem at all except for one thing; he's madly in love with him. (otherwise known as "3 times Carlos and Ben almost kissed + 1 time they did")





	the anticipation before the kiss

**Author's Note:**

> I was marathoning the Descendants series (like any sane human being would) and even though I love every ship in the movies I really wanted to write about Benlos first because of the lack of content. Hope everyone enjoys it!

  1. Six Months Later…



 

Carlos had been running into Ben a lot the last few days-always accidental of course. In the halls, cafeteria, even in the same aisle in the library. At first he didn't notice but it was starting to be too much of a coincidence, almost like fate.

 

One afternoon he was standing in front of his open locker when the benevolent king walked by.

 

Ben stopped smiled at him. “Hey Carlos.”

 

“I-uh, hi.” Carlos stuttered and Ben stared at him fondly. What could he want? They had ever interacted before, but this was the first time they’ve talked since he and Mal weren’t together.   
  


After the coronation, Mal had a brief identity crisis and took on the persona of a prissy pink princess to keep the press happy-and probably because she thought that was what Ben wanted. That plus all of the time he spent on his kingly duties really put a strain on their relationship.Thankfully she came to her senses and realized that she wasn't happy pretending to be someone she's not. Over a month ago Mal finally told Ben how she was really feeling, which is when they ultimately decided to break up (in a very amicable way judging by how often they still talk).   
  


But their friendliness didn’t mean Ben had to stay friends with Carlos so why was he being so nice to him?

 

“So, what’s going on?” He asked cautiously, shutting his locker door. Carlos cocked his head to the side as he looked up at the tall brunette king in confusion, Ben looking back at him with those ocean blue eyes.

 

His grin never faltered as he answered. “Just wanted to check in. We haven’t talked a lot since I had to quit tourney and fencing.” Ben paused for a brief second, as if he was trying to find the right words. “I wanted to make sure you were doing good. I mean, we’re friends after all. Right?”

 

This threw Carlos off guard. Ben was always kind to him, but that was while he was still with Mal and wanted to get on her friends’ good sides. But they weren’t dating anymore so he didn’t have to keep doing that. Unless...he genuinely wanted to be friends with Carlos. But why would he? He wasn’t anything special like Ben: he wasn’t a royal like he was, he didn’t have his athleticism, or even his cheerfulness. He was just Carlos from the Isle. And yet here he was, being asked about how he was doing by Ben who actually seemed like he cared. It was strange to say the least. Carlos didn’t have many friends outside of Mal, Evie, and Jay and he wasn’t used to letting people in. But this was Ben, a kindhearted guy who wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Maybe having him as a friend wouldn’t be such a terrible idea.

 

“Yeah, of course we’re friends.” Carlos finally said. 

 

Ben didn’t say anything back, but the giddy look on his face was enough of a response for Carlos. Even though he had no idea why he looked so excited. And he had even less of an idea why he was suddenly feeling self conscious around Ben.

 

“Um, I have to head to my next class. But if you’re sure about the whole ‘friends’ thing and aren’t busy later then maybe we could hang out.” Carlos suggested, his voice sounding more tight than he would’ve liked.

 

“That’d be great.” Ben nodded. “I’ll text you later.”

 

Carlos was prepared to make a classy and sophisticated exit but as soon as he took his first step, he tripped over his feet like the incredibly spastic person he is. He braced himself for impact but was shocked to feel two strong arms catch him right before he hit the floor. That was when Carlos realized that Ben had his arms wrapped around his’ waist like how dancers dip their partners. He didn’t know what to do, partly because he just saw his life flash before his eyes and also because Ben was still grabbing onto him. Oddly enough, he didn’t really mind it. Even though their faces were merely centimeters apart Carlos felt perfectly comfortable in Ben’s arms. But maybe Ben didn't because swiftly he helped him up on his feet. 

 

“Thanks.” Carlos lowered his head in embarrassment, failing to hide his burning red face.

 

Little did Carlos know that his little trip would lead to another kind of falling.

  
  


  1. Party Foul



 

At the beginning of senior year Carlos was sitting on a couch with the rest of the VK’s, the mass of people surrounding them morphing into a blur. It was a tradition that the class president-a title Evie won by a landslide- throw an unofficial back to school party in her dorm room. Carlos found it to be a pretty good party, lively with conversations and loud music, but he would've had more fun if he didn't spend the entire evening hiding from  _ him _ . 

 

Carlos’ friendship with the chipper king had gotten stronger with time, by now he considered him one of his best friends. Ben had been with him through everything in the last year (including Carlos’ realization that he wasn't as straight as he once thought). And with the knowledge of his sexuality came new complications; namely Ben. His feelings all changed the day Carlos saw him one day in class. He saw Ben differently, as the Adonis-like creature with silky brown hair and a heart as big as his biceps. But even though Carlos appreciated his classically handsome good looks, that wasn't what drew him to Ben. Carlos admired the way he handled the pressures of being a leader with grace, how intelligent he was, and how much he cared about his people. 

 

However, the problem with all of this was that Carlos couldn’t just go up and tell the brunette what he was really feeling. Not because he was scared of coming out, but because he was scared of rejection. Ben was Carlos’ first friend that he made when he arrived to Auradon and he made him feel like there wasn’t anything wrong with him. Like he wasn’t broken just because he was raised on the Isle, something he used to believe before Ben. Carlos knew that if he were to come clean about his feelings that Ben would be supportive but that wouldn’t be enough. He needed Ben to love him back, but not at the expense of the bond they’ve created. So Carlos would just carry the weight of his crush on his own, well, not counting his friends. They found out a while back and hadn’t let it go since then.

 

“So when’s the wedding?” Jay asked.

 

Carlos rolled his eyes, not answering, then went back to staring at Ben longingly. He was standing a few feet away chatting with some people. The young king looked perfect as ever, the lights around the room all pointed at him like a spotlight. Or maybe that was just in Carlos’ mind.

 

Mal nudged him in the ribs. “This has gone long enough, Carlos.” She said strictly. “You need to go over there and tell Ben that you like him and that you spend all day undressing him in your mind.”

 

Carlos blinked in utter shock and thankfully Evie came to his defense.

 

“What Mal meant to say was that if you did tell Ben you liked him then you could stop moping around.” She reached over to gently squeeze his hand. 

 

“I haven’t been moping around.” Carlos argued defensively.

 

“Yes you have.” The three VK’s said in unison. Carlos opened his mouth to argue but then just let out an annoyed huff.

 

Mal pointed her finger in the direction of where the bright eyed royal was standing. “I can promise you that you going over there to talk to him isn’t gonna end badly in the long run.”

 

Carlos groaned. “How can you be so sure?” He slumped further down into the couch.

 

“C’mon, just trust us and go over there.” Jay insisted. Carlos knew they weren’t going to budge on this topic so there was only one thing to do; go talk to Ben.

 

As he stood up from the couch he could hear his friends cheers and rolled his eyes. He proceeded to walk through the flock of students in his way, zeroing in on the guy who had stolen his heart. Ben was now alone, hovering by the doorway as he watched everybody else having their fun. Great, even when he was just standing Carlos thought Ben was the most beautiful human being that had ever walked on the face of the earth. He would’ve just turned around and walked back to his friends even if it meant enduring their pushiness, but Ben saw him and it was too late.

 

“Oh, hey Carlos!” Ben grinned, gesturing for him to come over.

 

Instead of saying hello back Carlos simply waved before walking up and joining him. He leaned against a wall awkwardly, standing beside Ben while the brunette started talking.  
  
“How long have you been here?” Ben questioned, facing Carlos in curiosity.” I haven’t seen you all night.”  


Carlos racked his brain for an excuse. “I had to help Evie with some party stuff. But I’m done now so I’m free.”

  
“Lucky me.” Ben’s eyes lit up.

 

“Really, why? It’s not like you didn’t have anybody else to hang out with. I’m sure there are plenty of people in here that are dying to talk to you. Some that are maybe looking to do more than just talk.” Carlos rambled, not being able to stop the words from escaping his lips. He instantly regretted the last sentence and waited to hear Ben’s confused response. But he didn’t say anything. He just paused as if to consider his answer.

 

“True, but I’d rather talk to you.” Ben admitted. “Don’t sell yourself short, Carlos. You’re a great guy and a lot cooler than you give yourself credit for. Trust me, I would rather spend the entire night talking to you than anybody else in the room.”

 

Even though Carlos knew Ben meant that as a friend, he still couldn’t help his heartbeat from rising. A smile tugged on the corners of his lips and he finally replied. “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.”

 

Ben chuckled lightly, nodding his head before talking. “Is there any reason why you’re friends are staring at us?”

 

Carlos looked over his shoulder to see Jay, Mal, and Evie all looking right at him and Ben wearing identical knowing looks. “No clue. They’re probably just being creeps.” He lied, hopefully convincingly.

 

“I think I know how to get them to look away.” Ben said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Carlos was confused as to what he meant but he didn’t get a chance to ask. All of a sudden he felt Ben grab him by the collar of his shirt, their lips so close that he could could feel Ben’s warm breath. Carlos didn’t know what was happening but what he wanted more than anything was to close the gap between them. He was so close to gaining the courage to do it but Ben pulled away a few seconds later.

 

“There. That should give you some privacy for a while.” The king said cheerfully as he patted Carlos on the back. His mind was still hazy from their almost kiss that he almost didn’t hear him. Carlos looked back at his friends whose faces were beet red and eyes were glued to the floor, probably thinking that he and Ben were getting ‘occupied’. Ha, he wished.

 

“Thanks. That was, uh, pretty smart of you.” Carlos’ voice cracked despite his effort to stay calm. But inside he wasn't calm at all. The only thing going through his mind was the memory of how it felt to be so close to Ben, just to have his opportunity be ripped away.

 

Part of him wanted to ask Ben what their almost kiss meant but he didn't want to screw anything up.  
  
However, Carlos did end up screwing up again.

  
  
  


  1. New Year, Same Problems



 

Auradon Prep’s new years eve party was already in full swing by the time Carlos arrived at the rose garden. The surrounding trees and shrubs were decked out in twinkling lights and lanterns that casted a warm glow over the dancing teenagers in the center. He had miss the yearly party before but he figured that he might as well go once before he graduated. Carlos scanned the garden for his friends then spotted them chatting by the table of food. Ooh, now that was something he wouldn’t mind checking out.

 

“You made it!” Evie squealed when he walked up to the group.

 

“Yeah, heard there was food and couldn’t resist.” Carlos joked, eying the chocolate covered strawberries. “Happy new year, everybody.” He pulled them all into a tight embrace.

Once they separated he could clearly see the sly grin on Jay’s lips. “So is the reason you’re here have anything to do with Beast Jr. over there?”

 

Not being able to resist, Carlos turned to see Ben dancing in the middle of the dance floor wearing his spiffiest suit. He had grown numb to the heart wrenching feeling in his chest after all this time. Ben and Carlos were as close as ever but being close to him still hurt. Yet whenever he tried to put his foot down-the butterflies fluttering inside his stomach reminded him that being around Ben was worth the pain. No wonder there were about a million love songs, everybody was a sucker when it came to loving someone who would never love you back.

 

“No. I came to celebrate the last hour of the year with my friends.” Carlos answered with newfound confidence. 

 

“Well in that case I propose a toast.” Mal snapped her fingers and a glass of champagne appeared in their hands.

 

She cleared her throat dramatically which made the rest of the group laugh. “To friendship. May the new year bring us joy and happiness and that no matter what, we stick together like always.”

 

“Cheers.” They all clinked their glasses and took a sip of their drinks.

 

It was five minutes to midnight when Carlos noticed everybody in party was pairing off with each other. There was Mal and Evie kissing in one corner, Lonnie pinning Jay against a wall, even Audrey and Chad had gotten back together by the looks of it.

 

Good for them, they deserved to start off the new year with the people they loved. Meanwhile Carlos was busy getting to second base with the chocolate muffin he was holding. He was licking the crumbs off his fingers when he heard footsteps walking his way.

 

“What are you doing all alone by the desserts?” Ben asked as he stopped in front of Carlos.

 

“Starting off the new year with the love of my life.” He gestured to what was spread out on the table.

 

Ben snorted. “Interesting alternative to kissing someone.” 

 

“Yeah, I thought so.” Carlos lowered his eyes glumly. “It’s not like I have a list of suitors just waiting to kiss me, anyways.”

 

“C’mon, buddy.” The young king slapped him on his arm then continued. “Don’t say that. You’re a total catch, okay? Anybody at this party would be lucky to kiss you. Don’t you dare forget that.”

 

Carlos smiled at the irony of this; the guy he was head over heels for was telling him that anybody would be lucky to have him. But the thing was that he didn’t want anybody. He just wanted Ben.

 

“Well if you’re gonna miss out on a kiss you should at least enjoy some food.” Carlos changed the subject and pointed to the the remaining treats.

 

Ben gleefully grabbed a marshmallow and dipped it into the chocolate fountain. As he put it in his mouth a bit of the chocolate smudged his lips. He didn’t notice though because he kept eating like nothing had happened.

 

“Hold on. You got something on your face.” Carlos lifted a finger to wipe the mess off. Leaning in towards Ben, he trailed his finger over Ben’s smooth lips. They remained silent for a few seconds until the crowd around them as they started counting down. 

 

_ 10, 9, 8.  _ Carlos noticed that Ben was still staring down at him.

 

7,6,5. He could feel his heart doing somersaults.

 

_ 4, 3, 2 _ . This was his chance. Get it together, Carlos. Do it.

 

_ 1 _ . But he couldn’t. He just backed away abruptly and let the people’s cheers wash over him.

 

“So…” Carlos said. “Um, happy new year.” His lips trembled slightly as he tried to force a smile. Yeah, chickening out of doing the very thing he had been dreaming about was exactly how he wanted to start off the new year.

 

Happy new year indeed.

  
  


+1. Downpour

 

Carlos sat on his bed one night as he scribbled the answers on his homework sheet. Outside his window he could hear the raindrops outside pitter patter on his window, the sound comforting him. He was by himself (Jay had planned a date night for him and Lonnie) so he took advantage of the solitude to play music on his speakers. As fate would have it, a sappy love song started to play which made Carlos roll his eyes. Maybe this was the cosmos’ sick way of reminding him that he still hadn’t moved past his feelings for Ben. 

 

It had been nearly a week since their almost kiss and he had done everything in his power to avoid Ben. Carlos had to take a break from the aching feeling that came with spending time with Ben. And the brunette must’ve noticed because he had spent the last couple of days bombarding him with texts and calls asking where he was. There was a time Carlos would’ve given anything to have Ben pay so much attention to him-but now it just hurt. It hurt that Ben didn’t miss him the same way that he did, and what hurt more was that Carlos couldn’t stop. 

 

He was the only one to blame, Carlos knew Ben was unattainable yet he let himself fall for him anyways. He needed to get it through his thick skull; Ben would never see Carlos as anything more than a friend. Sure, it was going to be tough to get over him. But at the end of the day, Carlos knew that he couldn’t keep chasing after the annoyingly perfect king. He deserved to be happy like the rest of his friends and that meant letting go of Ben.

 

A knock at Carlos’ door snapped him out of his thoughts. Which was strange because Jay was supposed to be gone for another couple of hours. He got up from his bed and opened the door to see who it was. On the other side stood Ben, wearing a drenched jacket and a deflated look on his face. Carlos gulped anxiously, looking at him up and down. Great, even after coming out of a rainstorm Ben still looked perfect as ever with his wet hair framing his unblemished face. Carlos moved out of the doorway and gestured for him to come in-despite his common sense telling him otherwise.

 

“What are you doing here?” Carlos asked warily.

 

Ben took off his coat and shook it out before answering. “Looking for you. I would’ve texted but it’s not like you were gonna answer anyways.”

 

Carlos scratched the back of his head, pondering what he was going to say next. “Sorry, I’ve just been busy.” He muttered.

 

“Really? Busy doing what, avoiding me?” Ben’s lips turned down in a scowl, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared Carlos down like he was trying to understand what was going on in his head. If only he knew that the only thing Carlos could think about was closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together. Thankfully he managed to fight the urge.

 

“What do you want me to say, Ben?” Carlos shrugged. “I’m sorry I haven’t texted you back but I have other things going on in my life that don’t have to do with you.”

 

The king let out a scoff. “Do you really think I would walk in the pouring rain just to ask you about ignored texts? I’m here because I’m worried about you. You’re pushing me away and I want to know what I did that got you so mad. I know you well enough to tell when something is bothering you.”

 

Ben took a few steps forward and reached out to touch Carlos’ arm but he shook him off like he was swatting a bug.

 

“I'm fine, okay? Just leave me alone.” Carlos lowered his eyes to the floor.

 

“No. Sorry but I'm not going anywhere until you tell me the truth.” The brunette said, his voice strict like what he was doing was for Carlos’ own good. And that really pissed him off.

 

Carlos ripped his jacket off of his coat hanger. “Fine. If you won't leave then I will.” He stormed out of his room and down the hall before bracing the rain. The minute he stepped foot outside he felt the evening shower pour down over him.

 

“Carlos, stop!” Ben yelled as he chased after him.

 

He didn’t know why but he halted, glancing over his shoulder around to see Ben jogging his way. By the time he caught up they were both face to face and Ben squinted down at Carlos in confusion.

 

“What the hell was that? You can’t just run away from your problems, Carlos.” He asked in between pants.   
  


Carlos knew he was right but didn’t want to admit it. “Well maybe I’m not ready to face them. Maybe I’m scared about telling you the truth and running away is the only way I can deal with it.” Water spilled down his cheeks, but not from the rain. They were tears of a heart breaking into a million pieces.

 

“I’m here for you.” Ben placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I promise, but you have to let me in. Please.” 

 

Carlos let out a ragged breath as he felt Ben’s concerned gaze burn into his soul. This was it. He couldn’t take lying to him anymore, it was killing him inside and he couldn’t handle bottling up his emotions anymore..

 

“For a while now, I’ve, uh, been keeping something from you. And it’s something really big that might mess things up between us.” Carlos choked out, his voice thick with the emotional baggage he had been carrying for a long time.

 

“Ben, it’s tough for me to be around you.” He continued and wiped his tear-filled eyes. “Whenever I’m with you it...it just reminds of what I’ll never have.”   
  


“What are you talking about?” Ben asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

Carlos shuddered in fear before saying the words he had been holding back for as long as he could remember. “I love you. And not in the way you think, I’m  _ in _ love with you. So much that whenever I’m with you it breaks my heart because I know you’ll never feel the same way. But I can’t leave, being without you is even more painful. I never told you because I didn’t want to make things weird between us and you mean so much to me. But you’re a great guy and you deserve to know the truth.”

 

When Carlos was done Ben’s hands tenderly cupped the sides of his face, his cerulean eyes staring directly into Carlos’ cocoa brown ones. His mind flashed back to all the other times they were this close before one of them broke away. That wasn’t going to happen again. Carlos closed the gap that separated them, pressing his lips against Ben’s like his life depended on it. He ran his hands through Ben’s damp hair as the rain seemed to get stronger with every passing second. Even through their soaked jackets Carlos could feel both of their hearts thumping in their chests. The kiss was even more magical than Carlos had hoped it would be.   
  


When they finally broke apart, their noses bumped into each other and they both laughed. Carlos stared at Ben’s smiling lips in awe.

 

“I...I don't know what to say.” He said breathlessly.

 

“I do.” Ben grabbed Carlos’ hand before continuing. “I love you, buddy. Exactly how you love me. And I'm so sorry for not telling you and letting you think that I didn't. I wanted to tell you ever since Mal and I broke up but I-I don't know how. That's why I became your friend first, to make it easier to tell you. But it made it harder. I got to know the amazing person you were and I got scared about losing you. Guess we're both clueless, huh?”

 

Carlos wanted to say something but he was at a loss for words. There was nothing he could say that could show how thrilled he was. Ben loved him-something Carlos didn't think was possible. But it was. And it was like a dream come true.

 

Carlos glanced up at the droplets falling from the sky. “Did you ever think we'd have our first kiss in the rain?” He winked at Ben. 

 

“Well it's a cliche but I have to admit, I'm a bit of a romantic.” He answered, his eyes lighting up brighter than the stars above. “But we’re definitely gonna wake up with a cold in the morning.”

  
“We’ll worry about that tomorrow.” Carlos smiled fondly. Because there would  _ be _ a tomorrow for he and Ben. One where they were going to be together for a long time, with no more pining or pain to get in the way of their happiness. 


End file.
